The final event, predictably, was fighting. We had to get our opponent outside of the big rectangle on the ground, by any means necessary. There were medics on standby, as well as some teachers who were ready to intervene if things got too dangerous.

I stretched my arms high above my head with a sigh, trying to stay alert.

The initial lineup was as follows:

Asui versus Todoroki

Midorya versus Uraraka

Bakugo versus Awase

Manderly versus Monoma

"Oh, wild card." I observed blearily, "Isn't he one one who's always shouting?"

"Oh no!" Monoma exclaimed right on cue, sarcasm dripping, "I'm up against a class A beast. She won the race, whatever shall I do? Beating me should be easy for her, since she's so great right?"

"Yup." Asui confirmed cheerily. I laughed. Then I remembered and gave her a one-armed hug.

"Hey! You did it! You made it to the fighting event!" She gave me a big smile.

"I know. I'm really proud of myself. Of you too, for facing your fears."

"Well, we'll see about that." I grimaced, "But thank you."

Asui was up first, so no time to sleep. I sat beside Bakugo because I knew he'd take it seriously when I told him to kick me if I drifted off.

"Who do you think will win?" I asked him, drinking some water and feeling a bit more awake.

"Like it's a question." Bakugo said, "Icy hot has to win so I can beat his ass next round. Same for Deku."

"Underestimating the ladies?" I asked disapprovingly.

"Don't make it out to be something it isn't." He replied, annoyed, "For example, I know you'll beat that cocky asshole's ass into the ground, girl or not, even when you can barely sit straight."

"Oh! Is that what you think?" Monoma interjected. I rolled my eyes.

"That was almost a compliment." I noted, "But I disagree on your assessments." I nodded toward our classmates, who were squaring off and studying one another, "Todoroki's attacks are big, but if there's anyone who can dodge them, it's Tsu." I glanced at Bakugo, "You'd be a more formidable opponent, since your attacks are more flexible."

"That won't matter." He nodded as the battle began, "If he keeps her from moving in the first place."

Jumping, Asui dodged the first slush of ice meant to trap her feet. Todoroki sent a wave of cold at her, but she diverted her course by using her tongue to propel her, attaching it to his arm and turning sharply midair. She got a solid blow to his face.

But then…

He coated his arm in ice. She couldn't remove her tongue.

"Oh no." I murmured.

"Told you."

Todoroki used her surprise as a window to kick her in the stomach, sending her flying back. He'd slickened the ground so she slid right out of bounds. Victory announced, he dispelled the ice as best he could, and Tsu cradled her face.

The two walked toward us as Deku and Uraraka stood to take their places. I fussed over my friend.

"You okay? Don't you want one of the medics to look you over?"

"After the preliminary fights." She promised, a little muffled. Her tongue was probably sore, "I'm okay."

"You really showed off though." I told her, "That was some sweet maneuvering!"

"Thanks, Juniper." She gave the smile of a good sport, "Yeah, it was a good fight."

It was no secret who our classmates thought would win this fight. The audience wasn't sure, since Deku hadn't shown off his quirk just yet, but I knew something most people didn't.

"Uraraka wins this," I said, "Easy." Asui nodded.

"Please." Bakugo scoffed, "If she uses her quirk, she'll just fly away that much faster. You need brute strength to beat Deku, and she doesn't have it."

"I hate to say it, but I agree." Todoroki said, arms crossed and watching.

Deku extended an arm and flicked the air like he had in our mock fight. Uraraka stayed close to the ground and managed to stay in place, but she was wincing.

"Sorry, but sometimes guys are just stronger." Bakugo informed us, "Like it or not."

"You're forgetting something." I said as Uraraka dashed forward, zigzagging and making it harder for Deku to aim, "Ochaco is more focused than anybody in a fight, it's just about impossible to distract her."

"So?"

"So," Asui picked up, "Deku overthinks."

Uraraka jumped just as Deku sent another charge, narrowly missing her. She flipped in the air and landed behind him, hand on his shoulder. He turned sharply, their faces close.

"Also," I added with a grin, "He has it bad for Uraraka."

Sure enough, his face went red. He jerked back and took aim, but she tripped him. He braced but only half fell, weight gone. Uraraka kicked him as hard as she could and he sped out of the square. Winner.

We had a good laugh as everyone cheered and the boys seemed shell-shocked.

"WHAT KIND OF PATHETIC DISPLAY WAS THAT?"

"He hesitated." Todoroki confirmed mildly, "I didn't expect that."

I high-fived Uraraka upon her return, whilst Deku returned with his head down. She went over to make sure he was okay, and, flustered, his spirits seemed to lift a bit.

"This is fun." I told Tsu, "Hey, Bakugo, I'm betting on you for this one, so don't prove me wrong."

"Shut up and watch."

Bakugo versus the kid from class B, Awase. Time to figure out what this dude's quirk was. It started out loud and quick; Bakugo shot an explosion at the ground to impair visibility and moved forward, swift and low, surprisingly quiet. It was hard to see much in the dust cloud, but after a few more explosions, he exclaimed,

"WHAT THE HELL?"

He was flung back harshly. It took a moment for the dust to settle, but his hands seemed to be in a sort of prayer position, palms pressed together. He pulled and pulled, but they wouldn't move.

"Oh! It seems Awase has disabled Bakugo's most dangerous weapon with his quirk Weld!" Present Mike called, "Is our star fighter any good without his explosions?"

Hands stuck together meant he couldn't use his quirk. Bakugo dodged another hit from Awase, who seemed extremely pleased with himself. With a roll to avoid being welded to the ground, our classmate just about bared his teeth, and with a yell, bull-tackled his opponent to the ground. Shirt now welded to the ground, however, he got a false start standing, getting a painful-looking kick to the chest. But Bakugo tripped him, ripped out of his shirt, stood, and kicked the guy with such force, he flew out of the square.

The crowd went really wild this time. He'd won without his quirk. Almost literally with his hands tied behind his back.

He stalked over and yelled at poor dazed Awase until his hands were unstuck.

"Wow." I said as Bakugo sat, seeming both annoyed and chuffed. "Talk about impressive! Congrats."

"I haven't won yet. Just wait."

"Well…" I yawned and stood, stretching, "I guess it's my turn."

"Try not to embarrass our class."

"Good luck!" Tsu added.

Monoma certainly liked the sound of his own voice, but I had no idea whether or not he was all talk. Eh, even if I lost, I had to have fun with it. So when he made a big show of wanting to shake my hand (that it would be rude of me to refuse!), I agreed despite it being an obvious ploy.

We shook, then took several paces back. The whistle blew.

Time to dance.

I breathed in and started to advance, stopping in surprise when I saw Monoma move in real time too, looking around like he was in space. Everything else was stopped, so I knew I hadn't released my quirk.

Oh. He copied it.

Disoriented, Monoma did his best to focus and run toward me, struggling a bit with the increased resistance. I smiled and waved, dancing and shifting closer to help him out. He made to punch me but I caught his wrist and gently redirected it. I showed him how he should be planting his feet. He glared, and tried to speak, but that was hard at this speed. He adjusted his stance, then slowed to a stop. Ah. I dropped my speed too.

Time resumed and he exhaled sharply, winded. He wobbled and nearly lost his balance. Mike went very loud, talking about us both suddenly speeding.

"You good?" I asked, "It takes some getting used to." He gave me a dirty look and shot out his fist before I could react. It hit me hard across the jaw and I fell back. Ow.

Then he sped across the square and fell on his face, inches from out-of-bounds.

"Watch out for the momentum!" I called, with a dash of satisfaction. I breathed in and he was there again, scrambling to get to his feet and make sense of it all. He ran to me and I met him halfway. We fought for a few seconds, but since I'd decided to have fun, I mostly just dodged his hits and parried. He seemed to be out of breath, so I mimed exhaling. He did so with me and time resumed. Dust rose around us and he panted hard. We were still holding each others shoulders. He fell to one knee, holding his head.

"How… do you…"

"Practice." I told him cheerily, "Time for a nap." Eyes fluttering shut, he collapsed, asleep.

"After a too fast fight, it seems Monoma has gone down! What did we miss?"

"Going at high speeds like that burns a lot of energy." Aizawa explained for the crowd, "Though he copied the quirk, Monoma didn't copy Manderly's physical conditioning and experience navigating the tricky ability. So it wore him out almost instantly."

"Incredible!"

I gave a content smile up at the cameras, waving.

"That's the end of the preliminary rounds! We'll take a ten minute break, then announce the semifinal lineups!"

I shook Monoma's shoulder until he stirred.

"Come on, lie down on the couch inside." I waved Todoroki over and he helped me drag the guy inside.

"A ten minute nap sounds great." I groaned, lying my head on the table.

"Five." Tsu told me, "Then, I'm waking you." It felt more like one minute, but I was glad for it anyway. I drank some water, did some jumping jacks to get blood flowing, and walked with Uraraka, Todoroki, and Bakugo back into the limelight.

I wondered how I'd deal with Todoroki's ice if we were paired. Slipping at high speeds would be a significant danger. Could I get to him before he made it impossible to move? I'd have to be quick. Bakugo would be ready for anything I threw at him, so I didn't like my odds either.

But I took a moment to congratulate myself. I'd made it to the semifinals. I'd been in a fight, not freaked out, and even won. Sure, Monoma kind of shot himself in the foot, but I'd take the win.

Bakugo versus Todoroki.

Which meant…

Manderly versus Uraraka.

This would be interesting.